US20210270063A1 - Lid opening and closing device for vehicle - Google Patents
Lid opening and closing device for vehicle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20210270063A1 US20210270063A1 US17/162,280 US202117162280A US2021270063A1 US 20210270063 A1 US20210270063 A1 US 20210270063A1 US 202117162280 A US202117162280 A US 202117162280A US 2021270063 A1 US2021270063 A1 US 2021270063A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- restriction
- emergency operation
- vehicle body
- rod
- operation member
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 230000007257 malfunction Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 9
- 210000000078 claw Anatomy 0.000 description 7
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 6
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 6
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 5
- 210000002445 nipple Anatomy 0.000 description 5
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 description 5
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000013013 elastic material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000002708 enhancing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B81/00—Power-actuated vehicle locks
- E05B81/12—Power-actuated vehicle locks characterised by the function or purpose of the powered actuators
- E05B81/14—Power-actuated vehicle locks characterised by the function or purpose of the powered actuators operating on bolt detents, e.g. for unlatching the bolt
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60K15/00—Arrangement in connection with fuel supply of combustion engines or other fuel consuming energy converters, e.g. fuel cells; Mounting or construction of fuel tanks
- B60K15/03—Fuel tanks
- B60K15/04—Tank inlets
- B60K15/05—Inlet covers
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B83/00—Vehicle locks specially adapted for particular types of wing or vehicle
- E05B83/28—Locks for glove compartments, console boxes, fuel inlet covers or the like
- E05B83/34—Locks for glove compartments, console boxes, fuel inlet covers or the like for fuel inlet covers essentially flush with the vehicle surface
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B63/00—Locks or fastenings with special structural characteristics
- E05B63/0065—Operating modes; Transformable to different operating modes
- E05B63/0069—Override systems, e.g. allowing opening from inside without the key, even when locked from outside
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B77/00—Vehicle locks characterised by special functions or purposes
- E05B77/34—Protection against weather or dirt, e.g. against water ingress
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B79/00—Mounting or connecting vehicle locks or parts thereof
- E05B79/10—Connections between movable lock parts
- E05B79/12—Connections between movable lock parts using connecting rods
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B79/00—Mounting or connecting vehicle locks or parts thereof
- E05B79/10—Connections between movable lock parts
- E05B79/20—Connections between movable lock parts using flexible connections, e.g. Bowden cables
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B81/00—Power-actuated vehicle locks
- E05B81/02—Power-actuated vehicle locks characterised by the type of actuators used
- E05B81/04—Electrical
- E05B81/06—Electrical using rotary motors
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B81/00—Power-actuated vehicle locks
- E05B81/54—Electrical circuits
- E05B81/90—Manual override in case of power failure
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60K15/00—Arrangement in connection with fuel supply of combustion engines or other fuel consuming energy converters, e.g. fuel cells; Mounting or construction of fuel tanks
- B60K15/03—Fuel tanks
- B60K15/04—Tank inlets
- B60K15/05—Inlet covers
- B60K2015/0515—Arrangements for closing or opening of inlet cover
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2900/00—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof
- E05Y2900/50—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for vehicles
- E05Y2900/53—Type of wing
- E05Y2900/534—Fuel lids, charger lids
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a lid opening and closing device for a vehicle, comprising a rod capable of moving forward and backward between a pushed-in position where a lid openably and closably supported on a vehicle body outer plate is pushed in and a protruding position where the lid is in an open state, a restriction member that can operate between a restriction position where movement of the rod in a state in which the lid is at a closed position is restricted and a restriction release position where the restriction is released, an electric motor driving the restriction member between the restriction position and the restriction release position, a case housing the restriction member and the electric motor and fixed to the vehicle body outer plate, an emergency operation member extending movably through a vehicle body inner plate while enabling the restriction member to move to the restriction release position when the electric motor malfunctions, and a grommet provided between the emergency operation member and the vehicle body inner plate so as to be capable of preventing water from entering between the vehicle body outer plate and the vehicle body inner plate, the emergency operation member being resiliently urged toward an initial position side at least
- Such a lid opening and closing device for a vehicle is already known from for example Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-153155; in this arrangement, a grommet is provided between a lock base (corresponding to the vehicle body inner plate of the invention of the present application) and a lid cable (corresponding to the emergency operation member of the invention of the present application). Furthermore, a structure in which a spring for resiliently urging an emergency operation member toward an initial position is housed within a case is disclosed by Japanese Patent No. 3079611.
- the present invention has been accomplished in light of such circumstances, and it is an object thereof to provide a lid opening and closing device for a vehicle that enables the number of components and the number of assembly steps to be decreased.
- a lid opening and closing device for a vehicle comprising a rod capable of moving forward and backward between a pushed-in position where a lid openably and closably supported on a vehicle body outer plate is pushed in and a protruding position where the lid is in an open state, a restriction member that can operate between a restriction position where movement of the rod in a state in which the lid is at a closed position is restricted and a restriction release position where the restriction is released, an electric motor driving the restriction member between the restriction position and the restriction release position, a case housing the restriction member and the electric motor and fixed to the vehicle body outer plate, an emergency operation member extending movably through a vehicle body inner plate while enabling the restriction member to move to the restriction release position when the electric motor malfunctions, and a grommet provided between the emergency operation member and the vehicle body inner plate so as to be capable of preventing water from entering between the vehicle body outer plate and the vehicle body inner plate, the emergency
- the grommet provided between the vehicle body inner plate and the emergency operation member is formed from the grommet main portion mounted on the vehicle body inner plate and the elastic portion integrally connected to the grommet main portion, it becomes unnecessary to prepare an elastic member other than the grommet, thus reducing the number of components, and it is also unnecessary to assemble an elastic member within the case, thus reducing the number of assembly steps.
- the elastic portion integrally has a bellows portion and a cylindrical press fit tube portion, the bellows portion being formed into a bellows shape so as to cover part of the emergency operation member, the bellows portion having one end part thereof integrally connected to the grommet main portion, and the press fit tube portion being formed on another end part of the bellows portion and having the emergency operation member press fitted into the press fit tube portion.
- the elastic portion of the grommet is formed from the bellows portion covering part of the emergency operation member, and the cylindrical press fit tube portion integrally connected to the bellows portion and having the emergency operation member press fitted thereinto, due to the grommet main portion being liquid-tightly mounted on the vehicle body inner plate a seal is provided between the grommet and the vehicle body inner plate, and due to the emergency operation member being press fitted into the elastic portion covering the emergency operation member, the grommet is fixed to the emergency operation member, and a seal is provided between the emergency operation member and the grommet, thus enabling reliable waterproofness to be obtained.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lid opening and closing device is mounted while a vehicle body outer plate and a vehicle body inner plate are cut away.
- FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lid opening and closing device from the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1 when a rod is at a lid closed position.
- FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line 3 - 3 in FIG. 2 when a door is in a locked state.
- FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 when an electric motor and a restriction member are removed.
- FIG. 5 is a sectional view along line 5 - 5 in FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 6 is a sectional view along line 6 - 6 in FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a holder and an elastic member on which a pin is provided.
- FIG. 8 is a view in the direction of arrow 8 in FIG. 7 .
- FIG. 9 is a view in the direction of arrow 9 in FIG. 8 .
- FIG. 10 is a sectional view, corresponding to FIG. 3 , of the lid opening and closing device when the rod is at a pushed-in position.
- FIG. 11 is a sectional view, corresponding to FIG. 3 , of the lid opening and closing device when the rod is at a protruding position.
- FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of an essential part of FIG. 3 showing a state when a force toward the opening side is forcibly applied to the lid at the closed position.
- FIG. 13 is a sectional view along line 13 - 13 in FIG. 11 .
- FIG. 14 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 13 when the door is in a locked state while the rod is at the protruding position.
- FIG. 15 is a view in the direction of arrow 15 in FIG. 5 .
- FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of an essential part of FIG. 15 .
- FIG. 17 is a sectional view along line 17 - 17 in FIG. 15 .
- FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a first link member.
- FIG. 19 is a view, corresponding to FIG. 15 , when an emergency operation wire is in an operating state.
- FIG. 20 is a sectional view showing a state in which the emergency operation wire is inserted through a grommet attached to a vehicle body inner plate.
- FIGS. 21A to 21C are views showing the lid opening and closing device in sequence according to the operation process of the emergency operation wire when viewed from the same direction as in FIG. 15 .
- FIG. 1 An embodiment of the present invention is explained by reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 21C ; first, in FIG. 1 , a recess part 16 is formed in a vehicle body outer plate 15 of a vehicle, a fuel supply part, which is not illustrated, facing the recess part 16 , and a base end part of a lid 17 is pivotably supported on the vehicle body outer plate 15 , the lid 17 being capable of opening and closing the recess part 16 .
- a latching part 18 is provided on an inner face on a free end side of the lid 17 , and a case 22 of a lid opening and closing device 20 is mounted on a bottom wall 16 a of the recess part 16 , the lid opening and closing device 20 having a rod 21 , and an engagement portion 21 a that detachably engages with the latching part 18 being provided on the tip end part of the rod 21 . That is, the lid 17 is pivotably supported on the vehicle body outer plate 15 , and the case 22 is mounted thereon.
- the case 22 is formed from a rectangular box-shaped case main body 23 and a cover 24 joined to the case main body 23 so as to close an open end of the case main body 23 .
- the case main body 23 integrally has an upper side wall 23 a and lower side wall 23 b extending in the vehicle width direction across a gap in the up-down direction, an outer side wall 23 c extending in the up-down direction while joining outer end parts in the vehicle width direction of the upper and lower side walls 23 a , 23 b , an inner side wall 23 d extending in the up-down direction while joining inner end parts in the vehicle width direction of the upper and lower side walls 23 a , 23 b , and a flat plate-shaped end wall 23 e connected in common to end parts on one side along the vehicle fore-and-aft direction of the upper side wall 23 a , the lower side wall 23 b , the outer side wall 23 c , and the inner side wall 23 d .
- the cover 24 is joined to the case main body 23 from the other side in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction so as to oppose the end wall 23 e.
- a rectangular insertion hole 25 (see FIG. 1 ) is formed in the bottom wall 16 a of the recess part 16 , and the case 22 is inserted through the insertion hole 25 from the outside in the vehicle width direction.
- a rectangular collar portion 23 f is integrally and connectedly provided on the outer side wall 23 c of the case main body 23 so as to protrude outward from the outer periphery thereof, and the case 22 is inserted through the insertion hole 25 from the outside in the vehicle width direction so as to make the collar portion 23 f abut against an outer face of the bottom wall 16 a at the peripheral edge part of the insertion hole 25 .
- a base end part of a resilient claw 27 is connected to the upper side wall 23 a and the lower side wall 23 b of the case main body 23 , the resilient claw 27 flexing when the case 22 is inserted into the insertion hole 25 so as to pass through the insertion hole 25 , and the tip end part of the resilient claw 27 abuts against an inner face of the bottom wall 16 a . That is, the bottom wall 16 a is clamped between the collar portion 23 f and the resilient claw 27 , and the case 22 is thereby mounted on the bottom wall 16 a of the vehicle body outer plate 15 .
- the lid opening and closing device 20 includes the rod 21 , a restriction member 28 being capable of restricting movement of the rod 21 , and an electric motor 29 driving the restriction member 28 , the restriction member 28 and the electric motor 29 being housed within the case 22 .
- the rod 21 is disposed so as to extend in the vehicle width direction in an upper part of the case 22 , and is movably supported on the case main body 23 of the case 22 .
- a support rib 31 is integrally and projectingly provided on an inner face of the end wall 23 e of the case main body 23 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the rod 21 , the support rib 31 having at the protruding end a sliding contact support face 30 recessed in an arc shape so as to be in sliding contact with part of an outer peripheral face of the rod 21 , which has a circular cross section.
- a through hole 32 is formed in an upper part of the outer side wall 23 c of the case main body 23 , the rod 21 being axially movably inserted through the through hole 32 , a short cylindrical portion 23 g protruding from the outer side wall 23 c toward the recess part 16 side so as to form part of the through hole 32 is integrally and projectingly provided on the upper part of the outer side wall 23 c of the case main body 23 , and an annular outer seal member 33 is fitted onto the short cylindrical portion 23 g , the outer seal member 33 being in resilient sliding contact with the outer periphery of the rod 21 .
- a holder 35 is axially relatively non-movably linked to the rod 21 within the case 22 , and the holder 35 is relatively rotatably fitted onto the rod 21 so that it cannot move relative thereto in the axial direction.
- the holder 35 is formed so as to have a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape opening on the end wall 23 e side while integrally having an upper wall portion 35 a that is in sliding contact with an inner face of the upper side wall 23 a of the case main body 23 of the case 22 , a lower wall portion 35 b disposed beneath the upper wall portion 35 a in parallel therewith across a gap, and a vertical wall portion 35 c providing a link between the upper wall portion 35 a and the lower wall portion 35 b while opposing the end wall 23 e at a position spaced from the end wall 23 e of the case main body 23 .
- An annular groove 36 is formed in the outer periphery of the rod 21 in a portion corresponding to the holder 35 , and an engagement projection portion 35 d that engages with the annular groove 36 is formed integrally with the holder 35 .
- the holder 35 is thereby fitted onto the rod 21 so as to be capable of pivoting relative thereto within a restricted range around the axis of the rod 21 while being incapable of moving relative to the rod 21 in the axial direction.
- a ring-shaped spring housing recess part 37 is formed in a part of the rod 21 that is close to the inner side wall 23 d of the case main body 23 so as to be coaxial with the axis of the rod 21 and open on the outer side wall 23 c side, and a coil spring 38 having part thereof housed within the spring housing recess part 37 is provided between the rod 21 and the inner side wall 23 d .
- the rod 21 is urged in a direction in which the engagement portion 21 a at the tip end part thereof protrudes from the vehicle body outer plate 15 by virtue of the resilient force of the coil spring 38 , and an axial position restricting groove 40 is formed in the lower wall portion 35 b of the holder 35 in order to restrict the position of the rod 21 in the axial direction, a pin 41 being inserted into the axial position restricting groove 40 .
- a plate spring 42 is disposed between the holder 35 and the electric motor 29 so as to extend lengthwise in the longitudinal direction of the rod 21 , a shaft 43 inserted through a base end part of the plate spring 42 is clamped between the case main body 23 and the cover 24 , and the plate spring 42 is supported on the case 22 via the shaft 43 so that it can pivot in a permitted range within the case 22 .
- the pin 41 is fixed close to a free end part of the plate spring 42 , and a projection 44 that abuts against a part that is close to the base end part of the plate spring 42 from the side opposite to the rod 21 is projectingly provided on the case main body 23 .
- the plate spring 42 thus exhibits a resilient force that makes the pin 41 abut against the holder 35 .
- the axial position of the rod 21 is restricted by means of a rod axial direction-restricting mechanism 39 formed from the plate spring 42 having the pin 41 and the axial position restricting groove 40 of the holder 35 .
- the rod 21 can move back and forth between a pushed-in position in which as shown in FIG. 10 it is pushed in against the resilient force of the coil spring 38 in response to the lid 17 in a closed state and an open state being pushed in and a protruding position in which as shown in FIG. 11 it protrudes greatly from the case 22 due to the resilient force of the coil spring 38 when the lid 17 is in the open state; when the lid 17 is in the closed state the rod 21 is in a lid closed position as shown in FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 , and FIG. 6 in which it is returned from the pushed-in position toward the protruding position side by a predetermined amount of movement.
- a round rod-shaped stopper 21 b is coaxially, integrally, and projectingly provided on an end part of the rod 21 on the inner side wall 23 d side of the case main body 23 , and as shown in FIG. 10 the stopper 21 b abuts against the inner side wall 23 d of the case main body 23 and restricts the end of movement of the rod 21 in the pushing-in direction when the rod 21 is in the pushed-in position.
- the holder 35 functions so as to restrict the protruding position of the rod 21 , the holder 35 being mounted on the rod 21 so that, when the rod 21 is in the protruding position, as shown in FIG. 11 the holder 35 abuts against the outer side wall 23 c of the case main body 23 and restricts the end of movement of the rod 21 in the protruding direction.
- the axial position restricting groove 40 is formed so as to have a pin-receiving portion 40 a , first and second pushed-in position-receiving portions 40 b , 40 c , and a protruding position-receiving portion 40 d .
- the pin-receiving portion 40 a is formed while facing the protruding position side of the rod 21 so as to receive the holder 35 , which is urged by the coil spring 38 together with the rod 21 in an urging direction shown by arrow 45 , by means of the pin 41 when the rod 21 is in the lid closed position, and so as to abut against the pin 41 in a direction along the urging direction in order to prevent the rod 21 from moving up to the protruding position.
- the first and second pushed-in position-receiving portions 40 b , 40 c receive the pin 41 when the rod 21 and the holder 35 are in the pushed-in position.
- the protruding position-receiving portion 40 d receives the pin 41 when the rod 21 and the holder 35 are in the protruding position.
- the pin 41 When the lid 17 in the closed position is pushed in, the pin 41 is displaced from the pin-receiving portion 40 a to the first pushed-in position-receiving portion 40 b as shown by arrow 46 as a result of movement of the rod 21 and the holder 35 to the pushed-in position, and when the rod 21 and the holder 35 move to the protruding position in response to release of the force pushing the lid 17 , the pin 41 is displaced from the first pushed-in position-receiving portion 40 b to the protruding position-receiving portion 40 d as shown by arrow 47 .
- Pushing in the rod 21 together with the lid 17 when the lid 17 is in the open position moves the rod 21 and the holder 35 to the pushed-in position to thus displace the pin 41 to the second pushed-in position-receiving portion 40 c as shown by arrow 48
- releasing the force pushing the lid 17 moves the rod 21 and the holder 35 to the lid closed position to thus displace the pin 41 from the second pushed-in position-receiving portion 40 c to the pin-receiving portion 40 a as shown by arrow 49 and make it abut against the pin-receiving portion 40 a.
- the first step part 50 prevents the pin 41 from being reversely displaced from the pin-receiving portion 40 a to the second pushed-in position-receiving portion 40 c
- the second step part 51 prevents the pin 41 from being reversely displaced from the first pushed-in position-receiving portion 40 b to the pin-receiving portion 40 a
- the third step part 52 prevents the pin 41 from being reversely displaced from the protruding position-receiving portion 40 d to the first pushed-in position-receiving portion 40 b
- the fourth step part 53 prevents the pin 41 from being reversely displaced from the second pushed-in position-receiving portion 40 c to the protruding position-receiving portion 40 d.
- the guide part 59 is formed on a lower part of an end part, on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, of the vertical wall portion 35 c of the holder 35 , and is formed into an inclined face that is inclined so as to be closer to the protruding position-receiving portion 40 d of the axial position restricting groove 40 in going downward.
- the guide part 59 functions to guide the pin 21 when assembling the holder 35 on the case main body 23 side in a state in which the shaft 43 on the base end part of the plate spring 42 has been assembled on the case main body 23 of the case 22 , the pin 21 being inserted into the protruding position-receiving portion 40 d of the axial position restricting groove 40 by being guided by the guide part 59 .
- This enables the pin 41 to be easily inserted into the axial position restricting groove 40 even in a state in which the plate spring 42 has been assembled on the case main body 23 of the case 22 , thus enhancing the ease of assembly.
- the engagement portion 21 a at the tip end part of the rod 21 has a substantially T-shaped form, the engagement portion 21 a engages with the latching part 18 when the lid 17 is in the closed position but the engagement with the latching part 18 is released when the lid 17 is opened, and by pivoting the rod 21 on its axis through 90 degrees it is possible to switch between engagement of the engagement portion 21 a with the latching part 18 and disengagement therefrom.
- a helical guide groove 54 is formed in the outer periphery, facing the end wall 23 e side of the case main body 23 , of the rod 21 , and a projection 55 that is made to project into the guide groove 54 is integrally and projectingly provided on the end wall 23 e on the case main body 23 .
- the guide groove 54 is formed so as to make the rod 21 spin on its axis through 90 degrees while the rod 21 moves in the axial direction between the pushed-in position and the protruding position.
- the electric motor 29 has a rotational axis that is parallel to the axis of the rod 21 , and is housed within the case 22 so as to be disposed close to the inner side wall 23 d of the case main body 23 beneath the rod 21 and the holder 35 .
- a substantially L-shaped dividing wall 57 is integrally and projectingly provided on the case main body 23 so as to form a motor housing recess part 56 housing the electric motor 29 in cooperation with the inner side wall 23 d and the lower side wall 23 b .
- an opening 58 that can house part of the pin 41 fixed to the plate spring 42 is formed in the dividing wall 57 .
- a connector portion 23 h connected to the electric motor 29 is formed integrally with the inner side wall 23 d.
- a restriction part 60 that restricts displacement of the plate spring 42 from the axial position restricting groove 40 to the side on which the pin 41 is detached, and in this embodiment the restriction part 60 protruding into the opening 58 is provided integrally with the case main body 23 of the case 22 so that it can abut against the free end part of the plate spring 42 from the side opposite to the holder 35 .
- the restriction member 28 is housed within the case 22 so as to be disposed beneath the rod 21 and the holder 35 further on the outside in the vehicle width direction than the electric motor 29 , and the restriction member 28 is housed in the case 22 so that it can operate in a direction orthogonal to the back-and-forth movement direction of the rod 21 , in this embodiment in the up-down direction, between a restriction position as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 in which it engages with the rod 21 in the lid closed position so as to restrict movement of the rod 21 and a restriction release position as shown in FIG. 10 , FIG. 11 , and FIG. 13 in which it moves away from the rod 21 by disengaging from the rod 21 and releases the restriction of the rod 21 .
- a latching recess part 61 that faces the restriction member 28 side when the rod 21 is in the lid closed position is formed in the outer periphery of the rod 21 , and an engagement projection 62 that is fitted into and engaged with the latching recess part 61 when the rod 21 is in the lid closed position is projectingly provided on an end part, on the rod 21 side, of the restriction member 28 .
- a stopper 63 is integrally and projectingly provided on the end part, on the rod 21 side, of the restriction member 28 , the stopper 63 abutting against the support rib 31 projectingly provided on an inner face of the end wall 23 e as shown in FIG. 5 when the restriction member 28 has moved to the restriction position in a state in which the rod 21 is in the lid closed position, thereby determining the restriction position for the restriction member 28 .
- An output shaft 64 of the electric motor 29 has an axis that is parallel to the rod 21 , that is, orthogonal to the direction of operation of the restriction member 28 , the output shaft 64 extending rotatably through the dividing wall 57 and protruding toward the restriction member 28 side.
- a rack 65 extending along the direction of movement thereof, a pinion 66 provided on the output shaft 64 meshing with the rack 65 .
- the restriction member 28 is therefore driven so as to operate between the restriction position and the restriction release position by means of operation of the electric motor 29 .
- the electric motor 29 operates only for a predetermined time (e.g. 0.6 sec) in response to a vehicle door being switched between a locked state and an unlocked state by means of a smart entry system or a keyless button operation by a vehicle user; when the door is in the locked state the electric motor 29 drives the restriction member 28 to the restriction position, and when the door is in the unlocked state the electric motor 29 drives the restriction member 28 to the restriction release position.
- a predetermined time e.g. 0.6 sec
- the holding mechanism 68 resiliently holds at least the restriction release position of the restriction member 28 , and is formed from an abutment part 69 provided integrally with the cover 24 forming part of the case 22 , and an elastic member 70 mounted on the restriction member 28 while abutting against the abutment part 69 so as to urge the restriction member 28 toward the restriction release position side when the restriction member 28 is at a position partway along moving from the restriction release position toward the restriction position side.
- a groove 71 opening on the outer side wall 23 c side of the case main body 23 is formed in the restriction member 28 throughout the entire length in the direction of movement of the restriction member 28 , and a support shaft 72 disposed within the groove 71 is integrally and projectingly provided on the restriction member 28 .
- the elastic member 70 has a coil portion 70 a surrounding the support shaft 72 , and first and second arm portions 70 b , 70 c extending from opposite ends of the coil portion 70 a.
- the first arm portion 70 b of the elastic member 70 is abutted against and supported on, among side walls 71 a , 71 b on opposite sides of the groove 71 , the side wall 71 a further from the cover 24 .
- the tip end part of the second arm portion 70 c is abutted against and supported on, among the side walls 71 a , 71 b on opposite sides of the groove 71 , the side wall 71 b on the cover 24 side, and a chevron-shaped resilient portion 73 curving so as to bulge toward the cover 24 side is formed in an intermediate part of the second arm portion 70 c .
- a slit 74 through which the resilient portion 73 is inserted is provided in the restriction member 28 , the resilient portion 73 protruding toward the cover 24 side via the slit 74 .
- the abutment part 69 projectingly provided on the cover 24 always abuts against the resilient portion 73 , as shown in FIG. 13 the resilient portion 73 abuts against the abutment part 69 further on the tip end part side of the second arm portion 70 c than a chevron-shaped apex portion 73 a in a state in which the restriction member 28 is in the restriction release position, and the resilient portion 73 exhibits a resilient force that urges the restriction member 28 toward the restriction release position side.
- FIG. 13 the resilient portion 73 abuts against the abutment part 69 further on the tip end part side of the second arm portion 70 c than a chevron-shaped apex portion 73 a in a state in which the restriction member 28 is in the restriction release position, and the resilient portion 73 exhibits a resilient force that urges the restriction member 28 toward the restriction release position side.
- the resilient portion 73 abuts against the abutment part 69 further on the side opposite to the tip end part of the second arm portion 70 c than the chevron-shaped apex portion 73 a , and the resilient portion 73 exhibits a resilient force that urges the restriction member 28 toward the restriction position side. Furthermore, when the restriction member 28 is at an intermediate position between the restriction position and the restriction release position as shown in FIG.
- the abutment part 69 will not ride over the apex portion 73 a of the resilient portion 73 , the resilient portion 73 abuts against the abutment part 69 further on the tip end part side of the second arm portion 70 c than the apex portion 73 a , and the resilient portion 73 exhibits a resilient force that urges the restriction member 28 toward the restriction release position side.
- the restriction member 28 is driven toward the restriction position side by means of the electric motor 29 and the restriction member 28 is at a halfway position before reaching the restriction position, the restriction member 28 is thereby returned to the restriction release position by the function of the holding mechanism 68 accompanying termination of operation of the electric motor 29 .
- An emergency operation wire 76 as an emergency operation member that can move the restriction member 28 to the restriction release position when the electric motor 29 malfunctions is therefore disposed so as to movably extend through a vehicle body inner plate 75 (see FIG. 1 ) disposed further on the inside than the vehicle body outer plate 15 , and the emergency operation wire 76 can be manually pulled further inside the vehicle than the vehicle body inner plate 75 .
- the emergency operation wire 76 can move along an outer face of the end wall 23 e of the case main body 23 of the case 22 , and a linking member 78 having an elongated hole-shaped first linking hole 77 is provided on an end part, on the lid opening and closing device 20 side, of the emergency operation wire 76 . Furthermore, integrally and projectingly provided on the outer face of the end wall 23 e is a guide projection 79 forming in cooperation with the end wall 23 e a guide hole 80 (see FIG. 1 ) through which the emergency operation wire 76 is movably inserted.
- an operating force-acting direction conversion mechanism 84 is provided between the restriction member 28 and the linking member 78 ; when the emergency operation wire 76 is pulled, the operating force-acting direction conversion mechanism 84 converts an operating force from the emergency operation wire 76 into a force that makes the restriction member 28 operate in a direction orthogonal to back-and-forth movement of the rod 21 from the restriction position toward the restriction release position.
- the operating force-acting direction conversion mechanism 84 is formed from a pressure-receiving projection 82 integrally and projectingly provided on the restriction member 28 , a first link member 86 pivoting in response to movement of the emergency operation wire 76 , and a second link member 87 having its tip end part abutting against the pressure-receiving projection 82 from the restriction position side and pivoting so as to push the restriction member 28 toward the restriction release position in response to pivoting of the first link member 86 .
- the pressure-receiving projection 82 is integrally and projectingly provided on the restriction member 28 so as to make its tip end part be close to and oppose an inner face of the end wall 23 e.
- the first link member 86 is formed so as to integrally have a first link member main portion 86 a disposed along the outer face of the end wall 23 e of the case main body 23 of the case 22 , a pair of first resilient engagement claws 86 b integrally and projectingly provided on a side, opposite to the end wall 23 e , of one end part of the first link member main portion 86 a so as to be inserted through the first linking hole 77 of the linking member 78 of the emergency operation wire 76 and thus be pivotably and resiliently engaged with the linking portion 76 a , and a linking tube portion 86 c provided integrally with the other end part of the first link member main portion 86 a.
- a second linking hole 88 having a rectangular cross section, and formed on mutually opposing side faces of an end part, on the side opposite to the end wall 23 e , of the second linking hole 88 are latching step portions 88 a .
- a cutout 90 having a pivoting restriction face 89 at one end in the peripheral direction is formed in part of the outer periphery of the first link member main portion 86 a around the linking tube portion 86 c .
- a stopper 91 disposed within the cutout 90 is projectingly provided on the end wall 23 e of the case main body 23 , and a stopper face 92 that can abut against the pivoting restriction face 89 is formed on the stopper 91 .
- the second link member 87 is formed so as to integrally have a second link member main portion 87 a disposed along the inner face of the end wall 23 e of the case main body 23 of the case 22 so that its tip end part can abut against the pressure-receiving projection 82 from the restriction position side, a shaft portion 87 b integrally connected to a base end part of the second link member main portion 87 a so as to be pivotably fitted into a support hole 93 formed in the end wall 23 e , and a pair of second resilient engagement claws 87 c integrally and connectedly provided on the other end part of the shaft portion 87 b on the outer side of the end wall 23 e .
- An annular seal member 96 that is in resilient contact with an inner face of the support hole 93 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the shaft portion 87 b.
- the second resilient engagement claw 87 c is inserted into the second linking hole 88 of the first link member 86 while flexing, and is resiliently engaged with the latching step portion 88 a .
- the second link member 87 is thereby non-pivotably linked to the first link member 86 .
- a grommet 94 is provided between the vehicle body inner plate 75 and the emergency operation wire 76 extending movably through the vehicle body inner plate 75 , the grommet 94 being capable of preventing water from entering between the vehicle body outer plate 15 and the vehicle body inner plate 75 .
- the emergency operation wire 76 is resiliently urged toward the initial position side at least in the operating state (in this embodiment the operating state).
- the grommet 94 is formed from an elastic material such as a rubber while being formed from a grommet main portion 94 a liquid-tightly mounted on the vehicle body inner plate 75 and having the emergency operation wire 76 movably inserted therethrough, and an elastic portion 94 b integrally connected to the grommet main portion 94 a so that the emergency operation wire 76 can be resiliently urged toward the initial position side.
- the elastic portion 94 b is formed so as to integrally have a bellows portion 94 ba formed into a bellows shape covering part of the emergency operation wire 76 and having one end part thereof integrally connected to the grommet main portion 94 a , and a cylindrical press fit tube portion 94 bb formed on the other end part of the bellows portion 94 ba and having the emergency operation wire 76 press fitted thereinto.
- a nipple 95 is fixed to the emergency operation wire 76 , the nipple 95 moving close to or abutting against the press fit tube portion 94 bb of the elastic portion 94 b from the side opposite to the vehicle body inner plate 75 when the elastic portion 94 b is in a natural state.
- the nipple 95 exhibits a function of preventing offsetting of the grommet 94 along the longitudinal direction of the emergency operation wire 76 .
- the emergency operation wire 76 when moving the restriction member 28 to the restriction release position when the electric motor 29 malfunctions, the emergency operation wire 76 may be pulled in a state in which the emergency operation wire 76 is at the initial position as shown in FIG. 21A , the emergency operation wire 76 thereby moves so as to pivot the first link member 86 of the operating force-acting direction conversion mechanism 84 as shown in FIG. 21B , and the bellows portion 94 ba is compressed between the grommet main portion 94 a mounted on the vehicle body inner plate 75 and the press fit tube portion 94 bb fixed to the emergency operation wire 76 .
- the emergency operation wire 76 is urged toward the initial position side by means of the resilient force exhibited by the bellows portion 94 ba of the elastic portion 94 b thus compressed when the emergency operation wire 76 is in the operating state.
- the pulling force imposed on the emergency operation wire 76 is released after the restriction member 28 could be returned to the restriction release position when the electric motor 29 malfunctions by pulling the emergency operation wire 76 , as shown in FIG. 21C the bellows portion 94 ba so compressed expands and the nipple 95 returns to the original position.
- deflection occurs in the emergency operation wire between the nipple 95 and the first link member, but the deflection is resolved by operation of the electric motor 29 accompanying malfunctioning of the electric motor 29 being resolved.
- the emergency operation wire 76 extends movably though the vehicle body inner plate 75 while enabling the restriction member 28 to move to the restriction release position when the electric motor malfunctions, and is resiliently urged toward the initial position side in the operating state, and since the grommet 94 provided between the vehicle body inner plate 75 and the emergency operation wire 76 is formed from the grommet main portion 94 a liquid-tightly mounted on the vehicle body inner plate 75 while enabling the emergency operation wire 76 to be movably inserted therethrough, and the elastic portion 94 b integrally connected to the grommet main portion 94 a while enabling the emergency operation wire 76 to be resiliently urged toward the initial position side, it becomes unnecessary to prepare an elastic member other than the grommet 94 , thus reducing the number of components, and it is also unnecessary to assemble an elastic member within the case 22 , thus reducing the number of assembly steps.
- the elastic portion 94 b integrally has the bellows portion 94 ba formed into a bellows shape covering part of the emergency operation wire 76 and having one end part thereof integrally connected to the grommet main portion 94 a , and the cylindrical press fit tube portion 94 bb formed on the other end part of the bellows portion 94 ba and having the emergency operation wire 76 press fitted thereinto, due to the grommet main portion 94 a being liquid-tightly mounted on the vehicle body inner plate 75 a seal is provided between the grommet 94 and the vehicle body inner plate 75 , and due to the emergency operation wire 76 being press fitted into the elastic portion 94 b covering the emergency operation wire 76 , the grommet 94 is fixed to the emergency operation wire 76 , and a seal is provided between the emergency operation wire 76 and the grommet 94 , thus enabling reliable waterproofness to be obtained.
- the emergency operation wire 76 is used as the emergency operation member, but the emergency operation member may be one having a rod-shaped portion that is inserted through the grommet 94 .
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Abstract
Description
- The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-31607 filed Feb. 27, 2020 the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
- The present invention relates to a lid opening and closing device for a vehicle, comprising a rod capable of moving forward and backward between a pushed-in position where a lid openably and closably supported on a vehicle body outer plate is pushed in and a protruding position where the lid is in an open state, a restriction member that can operate between a restriction position where movement of the rod in a state in which the lid is at a closed position is restricted and a restriction release position where the restriction is released, an electric motor driving the restriction member between the restriction position and the restriction release position, a case housing the restriction member and the electric motor and fixed to the vehicle body outer plate, an emergency operation member extending movably through a vehicle body inner plate while enabling the restriction member to move to the restriction release position when the electric motor malfunctions, and a grommet provided between the emergency operation member and the vehicle body inner plate so as to be capable of preventing water from entering between the vehicle body outer plate and the vehicle body inner plate, the emergency operation member being resiliently urged toward an initial position side at least when being operated.
- Such a lid opening and closing device for a vehicle is already known from for example Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-153155; in this arrangement, a grommet is provided between a lock base (corresponding to the vehicle body inner plate of the invention of the present application) and a lid cable (corresponding to the emergency operation member of the invention of the present application). Furthermore, a structure in which a spring for resiliently urging an emergency operation member toward an initial position is housed within a case is disclosed by Japanese Patent No. 3079611.
- In order to prevent water from entering between a vehicle body outer plate to which a case is fixed and a vehicle body inner plate through which an emergency operation member movably extends, if the arrangement is such that a grommet is attached to the vehicle body inner plate as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-153155 and, moreover, a spring resiliently urging the emergency operation member toward the initial position side is housed within the case as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3079611, not only does the number of components increase, but the number of assembly steps also increases, which is a problem.
- The present invention has been accomplished in light of such circumstances, and it is an object thereof to provide a lid opening and closing device for a vehicle that enables the number of components and the number of assembly steps to be decreased.
- In order to achieve the object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lid opening and closing device for a vehicle, comprising a rod capable of moving forward and backward between a pushed-in position where a lid openably and closably supported on a vehicle body outer plate is pushed in and a protruding position where the lid is in an open state, a restriction member that can operate between a restriction position where movement of the rod in a state in which the lid is at a closed position is restricted and a restriction release position where the restriction is released, an electric motor driving the restriction member between the restriction position and the restriction release position, a case housing the restriction member and the electric motor and fixed to the vehicle body outer plate, an emergency operation member extending movably through a vehicle body inner plate while enabling the restriction member to move to the restriction release position when the electric motor malfunctions, and a grommet provided between the emergency operation member and the vehicle body inner plate so as to be capable of preventing water from entering between the vehicle body outer plate and the vehicle body inner plate, the emergency operation member being resiliently urged toward an initial position side at least when being operated, wherein the grommet comprises a grommet main portion liquid-tightly mounted on the vehicle body inner plate while having the emergency operation member movably inserted therethrough, and an elastic portion integrally connected to the grommet main portion while enabling the emergency operation member to be resiliently urged toward the initial position side.
- In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, since the grommet provided between the vehicle body inner plate and the emergency operation member is formed from the grommet main portion mounted on the vehicle body inner plate and the elastic portion integrally connected to the grommet main portion, it becomes unnecessary to prepare an elastic member other than the grommet, thus reducing the number of components, and it is also unnecessary to assemble an elastic member within the case, thus reducing the number of assembly steps.
- According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect, the elastic portion integrally has a bellows portion and a cylindrical press fit tube portion, the bellows portion being formed into a bellows shape so as to cover part of the emergency operation member, the bellows portion having one end part thereof integrally connected to the grommet main portion, and the press fit tube portion being formed on another end part of the bellows portion and having the emergency operation member press fitted into the press fit tube portion.
- In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, since the elastic portion of the grommet is formed from the bellows portion covering part of the emergency operation member, and the cylindrical press fit tube portion integrally connected to the bellows portion and having the emergency operation member press fitted thereinto, due to the grommet main portion being liquid-tightly mounted on the vehicle body inner plate a seal is provided between the grommet and the vehicle body inner plate, and due to the emergency operation member being press fitted into the elastic portion covering the emergency operation member, the grommet is fixed to the emergency operation member, and a seal is provided between the emergency operation member and the grommet, thus enabling reliable waterproofness to be obtained.
- The above and other objects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be clear from detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment which will be provided below while referring to the attached drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lid opening and closing device is mounted while a vehicle body outer plate and a vehicle body inner plate are cut away. -
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lid opening and closing device from the direction ofarrow 2 inFIG. 1 when a rod is at a lid closed position. -
FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 inFIG. 2 when a door is in a locked state. -
FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding toFIG. 3 when an electric motor and a restriction member are removed. -
FIG. 5 is a sectional view along line 5-5 inFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 6 is a sectional view along line 6-6 inFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a holder and an elastic member on which a pin is provided. -
FIG. 8 is a view in the direction ofarrow 8 inFIG. 7 . -
FIG. 9 is a view in the direction ofarrow 9 inFIG. 8 . -
FIG. 10 is a sectional view, corresponding toFIG. 3 , of the lid opening and closing device when the rod is at a pushed-in position. -
FIG. 11 is a sectional view, corresponding toFIG. 3 , of the lid opening and closing device when the rod is at a protruding position. -
FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of an essential part ofFIG. 3 showing a state when a force toward the opening side is forcibly applied to the lid at the closed position. -
FIG. 13 is a sectional view along line 13-13 inFIG. 11 . -
FIG. 14 is a sectional view corresponding toFIG. 13 when the door is in a locked state while the rod is at the protruding position. -
FIG. 15 is a view in the direction ofarrow 15 inFIG. 5 . -
FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of an essential part ofFIG. 15 . -
FIG. 17 is a sectional view along line 17-17 inFIG. 15 . -
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a first link member. -
FIG. 19 is a view, corresponding toFIG. 15 , when an emergency operation wire is in an operating state. -
FIG. 20 is a sectional view showing a state in which the emergency operation wire is inserted through a grommet attached to a vehicle body inner plate. -
FIGS. 21A to 21C are views showing the lid opening and closing device in sequence according to the operation process of the emergency operation wire when viewed from the same direction as inFIG. 15 . - An embodiment of the present invention is explained by reference to
FIG. 1 toFIG. 21C ; first, inFIG. 1 , arecess part 16 is formed in a vehicle bodyouter plate 15 of a vehicle, a fuel supply part, which is not illustrated, facing therecess part 16, and a base end part of alid 17 is pivotably supported on the vehicle bodyouter plate 15, thelid 17 being capable of opening and closing therecess part 16. Alatching part 18 is provided on an inner face on a free end side of thelid 17, and acase 22 of a lid opening andclosing device 20 is mounted on abottom wall 16 a of therecess part 16, the lid opening andclosing device 20 having arod 21, and anengagement portion 21 a that detachably engages with thelatching part 18 being provided on the tip end part of therod 21. That is, thelid 17 is pivotably supported on the vehicle bodyouter plate 15, and thecase 22 is mounted thereon. - Referring in addition to
FIG. 2 toFIG. 6 , thecase 22 is formed from a rectangular box-shaped casemain body 23 and acover 24 joined to the casemain body 23 so as to close an open end of the casemain body 23. - The case
main body 23 integrally has anupper side wall 23 a andlower side wall 23 b extending in the vehicle width direction across a gap in the up-down direction, anouter side wall 23 c extending in the up-down direction while joining outer end parts in the vehicle width direction of the upper andlower side walls inner side wall 23 d extending in the up-down direction while joining inner end parts in the vehicle width direction of the upper andlower side walls shaped end wall 23 e connected in common to end parts on one side along the vehicle fore-and-aft direction of theupper side wall 23 a, thelower side wall 23 b, theouter side wall 23 c, and theinner side wall 23 d. Thecover 24 is joined to the casemain body 23 from the other side in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction so as to oppose theend wall 23 e. - A rectangular insertion hole 25 (see
FIG. 1 ) is formed in thebottom wall 16 a of therecess part 16, and thecase 22 is inserted through theinsertion hole 25 from the outside in the vehicle width direction. Moreover, arectangular collar portion 23 f is integrally and connectedly provided on theouter side wall 23 c of the casemain body 23 so as to protrude outward from the outer periphery thereof, and thecase 22 is inserted through theinsertion hole 25 from the outside in the vehicle width direction so as to make thecollar portion 23 f abut against an outer face of thebottom wall 16 a at the peripheral edge part of theinsertion hole 25. Furthermore, a base end part of aresilient claw 27 is connected to theupper side wall 23 a and thelower side wall 23 b of the casemain body 23, theresilient claw 27 flexing when thecase 22 is inserted into theinsertion hole 25 so as to pass through theinsertion hole 25, and the tip end part of theresilient claw 27 abuts against an inner face of thebottom wall 16 a. That is, thebottom wall 16 a is clamped between thecollar portion 23 f and theresilient claw 27, and thecase 22 is thereby mounted on thebottom wall 16 a of the vehicle bodyouter plate 15. - The lid opening and
closing device 20 includes therod 21, arestriction member 28 being capable of restricting movement of therod 21, and anelectric motor 29 driving therestriction member 28, therestriction member 28 and theelectric motor 29 being housed within thecase 22. - The
rod 21 is disposed so as to extend in the vehicle width direction in an upper part of thecase 22, and is movably supported on the casemain body 23 of thecase 22. Asupport rib 31 is integrally and projectingly provided on an inner face of theend wall 23 e of the casemain body 23 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of therod 21, thesupport rib 31 having at the protruding end a slidingcontact support face 30 recessed in an arc shape so as to be in sliding contact with part of an outer peripheral face of therod 21, which has a circular cross section. A throughhole 32 is formed in an upper part of theouter side wall 23 c of the casemain body 23, therod 21 being axially movably inserted through the throughhole 32, a shortcylindrical portion 23 g protruding from theouter side wall 23 c toward therecess part 16 side so as to form part of the throughhole 32 is integrally and projectingly provided on the upper part of theouter side wall 23 c of the casemain body 23, and an annularouter seal member 33 is fitted onto the shortcylindrical portion 23 g, theouter seal member 33 being in resilient sliding contact with the outer periphery of therod 21. - A
holder 35 is axially relatively non-movably linked to therod 21 within thecase 22, and theholder 35 is relatively rotatably fitted onto therod 21 so that it cannot move relative thereto in the axial direction. - Referring in addition to
FIG. 7 toFIG. 9 , theholder 35 is formed so as to have a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape opening on theend wall 23 e side while integrally having anupper wall portion 35 a that is in sliding contact with an inner face of theupper side wall 23 a of the casemain body 23 of thecase 22, alower wall portion 35 b disposed beneath theupper wall portion 35 a in parallel therewith across a gap, and avertical wall portion 35 c providing a link between theupper wall portion 35 a and thelower wall portion 35 b while opposing theend wall 23 e at a position spaced from theend wall 23 e of the casemain body 23. - An
annular groove 36 is formed in the outer periphery of therod 21 in a portion corresponding to theholder 35, and anengagement projection portion 35 d that engages with theannular groove 36 is formed integrally with theholder 35. Theholder 35 is thereby fitted onto therod 21 so as to be capable of pivoting relative thereto within a restricted range around the axis of therod 21 while being incapable of moving relative to therod 21 in the axial direction. - A ring-shaped spring housing recess
part 37 is formed in a part of therod 21 that is close to theinner side wall 23 d of the casemain body 23 so as to be coaxial with the axis of therod 21 and open on theouter side wall 23 c side, and acoil spring 38 having part thereof housed within the springhousing recess part 37 is provided between therod 21 and theinner side wall 23 d. Therod 21 is urged in a direction in which theengagement portion 21 a at the tip end part thereof protrudes from the vehicle bodyouter plate 15 by virtue of the resilient force of thecoil spring 38, and an axialposition restricting groove 40 is formed in thelower wall portion 35 b of theholder 35 in order to restrict the position of therod 21 in the axial direction, apin 41 being inserted into the axialposition restricting groove 40. - A
plate spring 42 is disposed between theholder 35 and theelectric motor 29 so as to extend lengthwise in the longitudinal direction of therod 21, ashaft 43 inserted through a base end part of theplate spring 42 is clamped between the casemain body 23 and thecover 24, and theplate spring 42 is supported on thecase 22 via theshaft 43 so that it can pivot in a permitted range within thecase 22. - The
pin 41 is fixed close to a free end part of theplate spring 42, and aprojection 44 that abuts against a part that is close to the base end part of theplate spring 42 from the side opposite to therod 21 is projectingly provided on the casemain body 23. Theplate spring 42 thus exhibits a resilient force that makes thepin 41 abut against theholder 35. - The axial position of the
rod 21 is restricted by means of a rod axial direction-restricting mechanism 39 formed from theplate spring 42 having thepin 41 and the axialposition restricting groove 40 of theholder 35. - The
rod 21 can move back and forth between a pushed-in position in which as shown inFIG. 10 it is pushed in against the resilient force of thecoil spring 38 in response to thelid 17 in a closed state and an open state being pushed in and a protruding position in which as shown inFIG. 11 it protrudes greatly from thecase 22 due to the resilient force of thecoil spring 38 when thelid 17 is in the open state; when thelid 17 is in the closed state therod 21 is in a lid closed position as shown inFIG. 2 ,FIG. 3 ,FIG. 4 , andFIG. 6 in which it is returned from the pushed-in position toward the protruding position side by a predetermined amount of movement. - A round rod-shaped
stopper 21 b is coaxially, integrally, and projectingly provided on an end part of therod 21 on theinner side wall 23 d side of the casemain body 23, and as shown inFIG. 10 thestopper 21 b abuts against theinner side wall 23 d of the casemain body 23 and restricts the end of movement of therod 21 in the pushing-in direction when therod 21 is in the pushed-in position. Theholder 35 functions so as to restrict the protruding position of therod 21, theholder 35 being mounted on therod 21 so that, when therod 21 is in the protruding position, as shown inFIG. 11 theholder 35 abuts against theouter side wall 23 c of the casemain body 23 and restricts the end of movement of therod 21 in the protruding direction. - Referring to
FIG. 9 , the axialposition restricting groove 40 is formed so as to have a pin-receivingportion 40 a, first and second pushed-in position-receivingportions portion 40 d. The pin-receivingportion 40 a is formed while facing the protruding position side of therod 21 so as to receive theholder 35, which is urged by thecoil spring 38 together with therod 21 in an urging direction shown byarrow 45, by means of thepin 41 when therod 21 is in the lid closed position, and so as to abut against thepin 41 in a direction along the urging direction in order to prevent therod 21 from moving up to the protruding position. The first and second pushed-in position-receivingportions pin 41 when therod 21 and theholder 35 are in the pushed-in position. The protruding position-receivingportion 40 d receives thepin 41 when therod 21 and theholder 35 are in the protruding position. - When the
lid 17 in the closed position is pushed in, thepin 41 is displaced from the pin-receivingportion 40 a to the first pushed-in position-receivingportion 40 b as shown byarrow 46 as a result of movement of therod 21 and theholder 35 to the pushed-in position, and when therod 21 and theholder 35 move to the protruding position in response to release of the force pushing thelid 17, thepin 41 is displaced from the first pushed-in position-receivingportion 40 b to the protruding position-receivingportion 40 d as shown byarrow 47. Pushing in therod 21 together with thelid 17 when thelid 17 is in the open position moves therod 21 and theholder 35 to the pushed-in position to thus displace thepin 41 to the second pushed-in position-receivingportion 40 c as shown byarrow 48, and releasing the force pushing thelid 17 moves therod 21 and theholder 35 to the lid closed position to thus displace thepin 41 from the second pushed-in position-receivingportion 40 c to the pin-receivingportion 40 a as shown byarrow 49 and make it abut against the pin-receivingportion 40 a. - Formed in the axial
position restricting groove 40 are afirst step part 50, asecond step part 51, athird step part 52, and afourth step part 53. Thefirst step part 50 prevents thepin 41 from being reversely displaced from the pin-receivingportion 40 a to the second pushed-in position-receivingportion 40 c, thesecond step part 51 prevents thepin 41 from being reversely displaced from the first pushed-in position-receivingportion 40 b to the pin-receivingportion 40 a, thethird step part 52 prevents thepin 41 from being reversely displaced from the protruding position-receivingportion 40 d to the first pushed-in position-receivingportion 40 b, and thefourth step part 53 prevents thepin 41 from being reversely displaced from the second pushed-in position-receivingportion 40 c to the protruding position-receivingportion 40 d. - Formed on the
holder 35 is aguide part 59 guiding thepin 41 of theplate spring 42 to the axialposition restricting groove 40. Theguide part 59 is formed on a lower part of an end part, on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, of thevertical wall portion 35 c of theholder 35, and is formed into an inclined face that is inclined so as to be closer to the protruding position-receivingportion 40 d of the axialposition restricting groove 40 in going downward. Theguide part 59 functions to guide thepin 21 when assembling theholder 35 on the casemain body 23 side in a state in which theshaft 43 on the base end part of theplate spring 42 has been assembled on the casemain body 23 of thecase 22, thepin 21 being inserted into the protruding position-receivingportion 40 d of the axialposition restricting groove 40 by being guided by theguide part 59. This enables thepin 41 to be easily inserted into the axialposition restricting groove 40 even in a state in which theplate spring 42 has been assembled on the casemain body 23 of thecase 22, thus enhancing the ease of assembly. Theengagement portion 21 a at the tip end part of therod 21 has a substantially T-shaped form, theengagement portion 21 a engages with the latchingpart 18 when thelid 17 is in the closed position but the engagement with the latchingpart 18 is released when thelid 17 is opened, and by pivoting therod 21 on its axis through 90 degrees it is possible to switch between engagement of theengagement portion 21 a with the latchingpart 18 and disengagement therefrom. - Referring to
FIG. 6 , ahelical guide groove 54 is formed in the outer periphery, facing theend wall 23 e side of the casemain body 23, of therod 21, and aprojection 55 that is made to project into theguide groove 54 is integrally and projectingly provided on theend wall 23 e on the casemain body 23. Theguide groove 54 is formed so as to make therod 21 spin on its axis through 90 degrees while therod 21 moves in the axial direction between the pushed-in position and the protruding position. - The
electric motor 29 has a rotational axis that is parallel to the axis of therod 21, and is housed within thecase 22 so as to be disposed close to theinner side wall 23 d of the casemain body 23 beneath therod 21 and theholder 35. A substantially L-shapeddividing wall 57 is integrally and projectingly provided on the casemain body 23 so as to form a motorhousing recess part 56 housing theelectric motor 29 in cooperation with theinner side wall 23 d and thelower side wall 23 b. Moreover, anopening 58 that can house part of thepin 41 fixed to theplate spring 42 is formed in the dividingwall 57. Aconnector portion 23 h connected to theelectric motor 29 is formed integrally with theinner side wall 23 d. - Provided on the
case 22 is arestriction part 60 that restricts displacement of theplate spring 42 from the axialposition restricting groove 40 to the side on which thepin 41 is detached, and in this embodiment therestriction part 60 protruding into theopening 58 is provided integrally with the casemain body 23 of thecase 22 so that it can abut against the free end part of theplate spring 42 from the side opposite to theholder 35. - Therefore, even if a force to open the
lid 17 in the closed position is forcibly applied thereto, due to therestriction part 60 abutting against theplate spring 42 as shown inFIG. 12 displacement of theplate spring 42 to the side on which thepin 41 is detached from the axialposition restricting groove 40 is restricted, thepin 41 will not be detached from the axialposition restricting groove 40, and it is thus possible to enhance the theft resistance. - The
restriction member 28 is housed within thecase 22 so as to be disposed beneath therod 21 and theholder 35 further on the outside in the vehicle width direction than theelectric motor 29, and therestriction member 28 is housed in thecase 22 so that it can operate in a direction orthogonal to the back-and-forth movement direction of therod 21, in this embodiment in the up-down direction, between a restriction position as shown inFIG. 3 andFIG. 5 in which it engages with therod 21 in the lid closed position so as to restrict movement of therod 21 and a restriction release position as shown inFIG. 10 ,FIG. 11 , andFIG. 13 in which it moves away from therod 21 by disengaging from therod 21 and releases the restriction of therod 21. - A latching
recess part 61 that faces therestriction member 28 side when therod 21 is in the lid closed position is formed in the outer periphery of therod 21, and anengagement projection 62 that is fitted into and engaged with the latchingrecess part 61 when therod 21 is in the lid closed position is projectingly provided on an end part, on therod 21 side, of therestriction member 28. Furthermore, astopper 63 is integrally and projectingly provided on the end part, on therod 21 side, of therestriction member 28, thestopper 63 abutting against thesupport rib 31 projectingly provided on an inner face of theend wall 23 e as shown inFIG. 5 when therestriction member 28 has moved to the restriction position in a state in which therod 21 is in the lid closed position, thereby determining the restriction position for therestriction member 28. - An
output shaft 64 of theelectric motor 29 has an axis that is parallel to therod 21, that is, orthogonal to the direction of operation of therestriction member 28, theoutput shaft 64 extending rotatably through the dividingwall 57 and protruding toward therestriction member 28 side. On the other hand, provided on therestriction member 28 is arack 65 extending along the direction of movement thereof, apinion 66 provided on theoutput shaft 64 meshing with therack 65. Therestriction member 28 is therefore driven so as to operate between the restriction position and the restriction release position by means of operation of theelectric motor 29. - The
electric motor 29 operates only for a predetermined time (e.g. 0.6 sec) in response to a vehicle door being switched between a locked state and an unlocked state by means of a smart entry system or a keyless button operation by a vehicle user; when the door is in the locked state theelectric motor 29 drives therestriction member 28 to the restriction position, and when the door is in the unlocked state theelectric motor 29 drives therestriction member 28 to the restriction release position. - In a state in which the
rod 21 is in the protruding position, that is, in a state in which thelid 17 is open, if a vehicle user erroneously puts the door into the locked state, although therestriction member 28 in the restriction release position is driven to the restriction position side by means of theelectric motor 29, therestriction member 28 cannot engage with therod 21 in the protruding position, as shown inFIG. 13 theengagement projection 62 and thestopper 63 of therestriction member 28 abut against theholder 35 before reaching the restriction position, and movement of therestriction member 28 to the restriction position is thus prevented. Because of this, there is a possibility that when operation of theelectric motor 29 is stopped, therestriction member 28 will stop at a halfway position before reaching the restriction position, but due to the function of aholding mechanism 68 therestriction member 28 is returned to the restriction release position. - The holding
mechanism 68 resiliently holds at least the restriction release position of therestriction member 28, and is formed from anabutment part 69 provided integrally with thecover 24 forming part of thecase 22, and anelastic member 70 mounted on therestriction member 28 while abutting against theabutment part 69 so as to urge therestriction member 28 toward the restriction release position side when therestriction member 28 is at a position partway along moving from the restriction release position toward the restriction position side. - A
groove 71 opening on theouter side wall 23 c side of the casemain body 23 is formed in therestriction member 28 throughout the entire length in the direction of movement of therestriction member 28, and asupport shaft 72 disposed within thegroove 71 is integrally and projectingly provided on therestriction member 28. Theelastic member 70 has acoil portion 70 a surrounding thesupport shaft 72, and first andsecond arm portions coil portion 70 a. - The
first arm portion 70 b of theelastic member 70 is abutted against and supported on, amongside walls groove 71, theside wall 71 a further from thecover 24. The tip end part of thesecond arm portion 70 c is abutted against and supported on, among theside walls groove 71, theside wall 71 b on thecover 24 side, and a chevron-shapedresilient portion 73 curving so as to bulge toward thecover 24 side is formed in an intermediate part of thesecond arm portion 70 c. A slit 74 through which theresilient portion 73 is inserted is provided in therestriction member 28, theresilient portion 73 protruding toward thecover 24 side via theslit 74. - On the other hand, the
abutment part 69 projectingly provided on thecover 24 always abuts against theresilient portion 73, as shown inFIG. 13 theresilient portion 73 abuts against theabutment part 69 further on the tip end part side of thesecond arm portion 70 c than a chevron-shapedapex portion 73 a in a state in which therestriction member 28 is in the restriction release position, and theresilient portion 73 exhibits a resilient force that urges therestriction member 28 toward the restriction release position side. In a state in which therestriction member 28 is in the restriction position, as shown inFIG. 5 theresilient portion 73 abuts against theabutment part 69 further on the side opposite to the tip end part of thesecond arm portion 70 c than the chevron-shapedapex portion 73 a, and theresilient portion 73 exhibits a resilient force that urges therestriction member 28 toward the restriction position side. Furthermore, when therestriction member 28 is at an intermediate position between the restriction position and the restriction release position as shown inFIG. 14 , theabutment part 69 will not ride over theapex portion 73 a of theresilient portion 73, theresilient portion 73 abuts against theabutment part 69 further on the tip end part side of thesecond arm portion 70 c than theapex portion 73 a, and theresilient portion 73 exhibits a resilient force that urges therestriction member 28 toward the restriction release position side. When therestriction member 28 is driven toward the restriction position side by means of theelectric motor 29 and therestriction member 28 is at a halfway position before reaching the restriction position, therestriction member 28 is thereby returned to the restriction release position by the function of theholding mechanism 68 accompanying termination of operation of theelectric motor 29. - When the
electric motor 29 malfunctions, for example, when theelectric motor 29 itself has broken down or operation of theelectric motor 29 becomes impossible due to theconnector portion 23 h of the lid opening andclosing device 20 breaking down, thelid 17 cannot be opened unless therestriction member 28 restricting therod 21 in the door closed state is manually returned to the restriction release position. Anemergency operation wire 76 as an emergency operation member that can move therestriction member 28 to the restriction release position when theelectric motor 29 malfunctions is therefore disposed so as to movably extend through a vehicle body inner plate 75 (seeFIG. 1 ) disposed further on the inside than the vehicle bodyouter plate 15, and theemergency operation wire 76 can be manually pulled further inside the vehicle than the vehicle bodyinner plate 75. - In
FIG. 15 andFIG. 16 , theemergency operation wire 76 can move along an outer face of theend wall 23 e of the casemain body 23 of thecase 22, and a linkingmember 78 having an elongated hole-shaped first linkinghole 77 is provided on an end part, on the lid opening andclosing device 20 side, of theemergency operation wire 76. Furthermore, integrally and projectingly provided on the outer face of theend wall 23 e is aguide projection 79 forming in cooperation with theend wall 23 e a guide hole 80 (seeFIG. 1 ) through which theemergency operation wire 76 is movably inserted. - Referring in addition to
FIG. 17 , an operating force-actingdirection conversion mechanism 84 is provided between therestriction member 28 and the linkingmember 78; when theemergency operation wire 76 is pulled, the operating force-actingdirection conversion mechanism 84 converts an operating force from theemergency operation wire 76 into a force that makes therestriction member 28 operate in a direction orthogonal to back-and-forth movement of therod 21 from the restriction position toward the restriction release position. - The operating force-acting
direction conversion mechanism 84 is formed from a pressure-receivingprojection 82 integrally and projectingly provided on therestriction member 28, afirst link member 86 pivoting in response to movement of theemergency operation wire 76, and asecond link member 87 having its tip end part abutting against the pressure-receivingprojection 82 from the restriction position side and pivoting so as to push therestriction member 28 toward the restriction release position in response to pivoting of thefirst link member 86. The pressure-receivingprojection 82 is integrally and projectingly provided on therestriction member 28 so as to make its tip end part be close to and oppose an inner face of theend wall 23 e. - Referring in addition to
FIG. 18 , thefirst link member 86 is formed so as to integrally have a first link membermain portion 86 a disposed along the outer face of theend wall 23 e of the casemain body 23 of thecase 22, a pair of firstresilient engagement claws 86 b integrally and projectingly provided on a side, opposite to theend wall 23 e, of one end part of the first link membermain portion 86 a so as to be inserted through thefirst linking hole 77 of the linkingmember 78 of theemergency operation wire 76 and thus be pivotably and resiliently engaged with the linking portion 76 a, and a linkingtube portion 86 c provided integrally with the other end part of the first link membermain portion 86 a. - Formed in the linking
tube portion 86 c is asecond linking hole 88 having a rectangular cross section, and formed on mutually opposing side faces of an end part, on the side opposite to theend wall 23 e, of thesecond linking hole 88 are latchingstep portions 88 a. Acutout 90 having a pivotingrestriction face 89 at one end in the peripheral direction is formed in part of the outer periphery of the first link membermain portion 86 a around the linkingtube portion 86 c. On the other hand, astopper 91 disposed within thecutout 90 is projectingly provided on theend wall 23 e of the casemain body 23, and astopper face 92 that can abut against the pivotingrestriction face 89 is formed on thestopper 91. - The
second link member 87 is formed so as to integrally have a second link membermain portion 87 a disposed along the inner face of theend wall 23 e of the casemain body 23 of thecase 22 so that its tip end part can abut against the pressure-receivingprojection 82 from the restriction position side, ashaft portion 87 b integrally connected to a base end part of the second link membermain portion 87 a so as to be pivotably fitted into asupport hole 93 formed in theend wall 23 e, and a pair of secondresilient engagement claws 87 c integrally and connectedly provided on the other end part of theshaft portion 87 b on the outer side of theend wall 23 e. Anannular seal member 96 that is in resilient contact with an inner face of thesupport hole 93 is fitted onto the outer periphery of theshaft portion 87 b. - The second
resilient engagement claw 87 c is inserted into thesecond linking hole 88 of thefirst link member 86 while flexing, and is resiliently engaged with the latchingstep portion 88 a. Thesecond link member 87 is thereby non-pivotably linked to thefirst link member 86. - In accordance with the operating force-acting
direction conversion mechanism 84 having such an arrangement, when therestriction member 28 is at the restriction position and theemergency operation wire 76 is at the initial position, as shown inFIG. 15 andFIG. 16 thefirst link member 86 is in a state in which thepivoting restriction face 89 abuts against thestopper face 92 of thestopper 91 and pivoting thereof is restricted, and the tip end part of the second link membermain portion 87 a of thesecond link member 87 is stationary in a state in which it is close to the pressure-receivingprojection 82 of therestriction member 28 from the restriction position side. - When the
restriction member 28 is moved from the restriction position toward the restriction release position side by means of operation of theelectric motor 29, thesecond link member 87 remains stationary without following the pressure-receivingprojection 82 and pivoting. - When the
emergency operation wire 76 is pulled in a state in which therestriction member 28 is at the restriction position, as shown inFIG. 19 the first andsecond link members projection 82 is pushed in by means of the tip end part of the second link membermain portion 87 a, and therestriction member 28 moves to the restriction release position. In this arrangement, the end part, on the side opposite to the pivotingrestriction face 89 in the peripheral direction, of thecutout 90 of thefirst link member 86 does not abut against thestopper 91, and thestopper 91 does not restrict pivoting of thefirst link member 86. - Referring in addition to
FIG. 20 , agrommet 94 is provided between the vehicle bodyinner plate 75 and theemergency operation wire 76 extending movably through the vehicle bodyinner plate 75, thegrommet 94 being capable of preventing water from entering between the vehicle bodyouter plate 15 and the vehicle bodyinner plate 75. Theemergency operation wire 76 is resiliently urged toward the initial position side at least in the operating state (in this embodiment the operating state). - The
grommet 94 is formed from an elastic material such as a rubber while being formed from a grommetmain portion 94 a liquid-tightly mounted on the vehicle bodyinner plate 75 and having theemergency operation wire 76 movably inserted therethrough, and anelastic portion 94 b integrally connected to the grommetmain portion 94 a so that theemergency operation wire 76 can be resiliently urged toward the initial position side. - The
elastic portion 94 b is formed so as to integrally have abellows portion 94 ba formed into a bellows shape covering part of theemergency operation wire 76 and having one end part thereof integrally connected to the grommetmain portion 94 a, and a cylindrical pressfit tube portion 94 bb formed on the other end part of thebellows portion 94 ba and having theemergency operation wire 76 press fitted thereinto. - Moreover, a
nipple 95 is fixed to theemergency operation wire 76, thenipple 95 moving close to or abutting against the pressfit tube portion 94 bb of theelastic portion 94 b from the side opposite to the vehicle bodyinner plate 75 when theelastic portion 94 b is in a natural state. Thenipple 95 exhibits a function of preventing offsetting of thegrommet 94 along the longitudinal direction of theemergency operation wire 76. - In
FIGS. 21A, 21B, and 21C , when moving therestriction member 28 to the restriction release position when theelectric motor 29 malfunctions, theemergency operation wire 76 may be pulled in a state in which theemergency operation wire 76 is at the initial position as shown inFIG. 21A , theemergency operation wire 76 thereby moves so as to pivot thefirst link member 86 of the operating force-actingdirection conversion mechanism 84 as shown inFIG. 21B , and thebellows portion 94 ba is compressed between the grommetmain portion 94 a mounted on the vehicle bodyinner plate 75 and the pressfit tube portion 94 bb fixed to theemergency operation wire 76. Theemergency operation wire 76 is urged toward the initial position side by means of the resilient force exhibited by thebellows portion 94 ba of theelastic portion 94 b thus compressed when theemergency operation wire 76 is in the operating state. When the pulling force imposed on theemergency operation wire 76 is released after therestriction member 28 could be returned to the restriction release position when theelectric motor 29 malfunctions by pulling theemergency operation wire 76, as shown inFIG. 21C thebellows portion 94 ba so compressed expands and thenipple 95 returns to the original position. In this arrangement, deflection occurs in the emergency operation wire between thenipple 95 and the first link member, but the deflection is resolved by operation of theelectric motor 29 accompanying malfunctioning of theelectric motor 29 being resolved. - The operation of the embodiment is now explained; the
emergency operation wire 76 extends movably though the vehicle bodyinner plate 75 while enabling therestriction member 28 to move to the restriction release position when the electric motor malfunctions, and is resiliently urged toward the initial position side in the operating state, and since thegrommet 94 provided between the vehicle bodyinner plate 75 and theemergency operation wire 76 is formed from the grommetmain portion 94 a liquid-tightly mounted on the vehicle bodyinner plate 75 while enabling theemergency operation wire 76 to be movably inserted therethrough, and theelastic portion 94 b integrally connected to the grommetmain portion 94 a while enabling theemergency operation wire 76 to be resiliently urged toward the initial position side, it becomes unnecessary to prepare an elastic member other than thegrommet 94, thus reducing the number of components, and it is also unnecessary to assemble an elastic member within thecase 22, thus reducing the number of assembly steps. - Furthermore, since the
elastic portion 94 b integrally has thebellows portion 94 ba formed into a bellows shape covering part of theemergency operation wire 76 and having one end part thereof integrally connected to the grommetmain portion 94 a, and the cylindrical pressfit tube portion 94 bb formed on the other end part of thebellows portion 94 ba and having theemergency operation wire 76 press fitted thereinto, due to the grommetmain portion 94 a being liquid-tightly mounted on the vehicle body inner plate 75 a seal is provided between thegrommet 94 and the vehicle bodyinner plate 75, and due to theemergency operation wire 76 being press fitted into theelastic portion 94 b covering theemergency operation wire 76, thegrommet 94 is fixed to theemergency operation wire 76, and a seal is provided between theemergency operation wire 76 and thegrommet 94, thus enabling reliable waterproofness to be obtained. - An embodiment of the present invention is explained above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and may be modified in a variety of ways as long as the modifications do not depart from the gist of the present invention.
- For example, in the above embodiment, the
emergency operation wire 76 is used as the emergency operation member, but the emergency operation member may be one having a rod-shaped portion that is inserted through thegrommet 94.
Claims (2)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
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JPJP2020-031607 | 2020-02-27 | ||
JP2020031607A JP7194133B2 (en) | 2020-02-27 | 2020-02-27 | vehicle lid opener |
JP2020-031607 | 2020-02-27 |
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US20210270063A1 true US20210270063A1 (en) | 2021-09-02 |
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US17/162,280 Active US11591829B2 (en) | 2020-02-27 | 2021-01-29 | Lid opening and closing device for vehicle |
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JP (1) | JP7194133B2 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20220074239A1 (en) * | 2020-09-10 | 2022-03-10 | Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation | Waterproof structure for door latch device |
US11279224B2 (en) * | 2018-02-27 | 2022-03-22 | Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Lock | Lid opening and closing device for vehicle |
Family Cites Families (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS5559886U (en) * | 1978-10-17 | 1980-04-23 | ||
JP3079611B2 (en) | 1991-03-29 | 2000-08-21 | アイシン精機株式会社 | Ridlock device |
JP2007153155A (en) | 2005-12-06 | 2007-06-21 | Toyota Motor Corp | Lid structure |
CN102844649B (en) | 2009-08-31 | 2014-04-02 | 泰坦公司 | Freeze indicators with controlled temperature response |
JP5438223B2 (en) * | 2010-10-12 | 2014-03-12 | トヨタ車体株式会社 | Open / close detection device for charging lid |
DE102012004071A1 (en) * | 2012-03-02 | 2013-09-05 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | actuator |
JP6017857B2 (en) * | 2012-06-25 | 2016-11-02 | アイシン機工株式会社 | Lid lock device for vehicle |
JP6961543B2 (en) * | 2018-02-27 | 2021-11-05 | 株式会社ホンダロック | Vehicle lid switchgear |
DE102018104529A1 (en) * | 2018-02-28 | 2019-08-29 | Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft | Locking assembly for locking a flap, in particular a vehicle |
-
2020
- 2020-02-27 JP JP2020031607A patent/JP7194133B2/en active Active
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2021
- 2021-01-29 US US17/162,280 patent/US11591829B2/en active Active
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11279224B2 (en) * | 2018-02-27 | 2022-03-22 | Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Lock | Lid opening and closing device for vehicle |
US20220074239A1 (en) * | 2020-09-10 | 2022-03-10 | Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation | Waterproof structure for door latch device |
US11898381B2 (en) * | 2020-09-10 | 2024-02-13 | Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation | Waterproof structure for door latch device |
Also Published As
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JP2021133820A (en) | 2021-09-13 |
CN113306386A (en) | 2021-08-27 |
US11591829B2 (en) | 2023-02-28 |
JP7194133B2 (en) | 2022-12-21 |
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